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Detroit Lions Issue of the Week: Stop turning the ball over

reggie-bush-fumbles.jpg

Reggie Bush and the Detroit Lions have turned the ball over 17 times in the past five games. They'll need to be better against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team doing a good job protecting the football during its four-game winning streak.
(AP Photo)

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have turned the ball over 17 times in their past five games. The team had four giveaways in wins over Dallas and Green Bay and coughed it up five times in a narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Despite showing an ability to overcome a slew of mistakes, the Lions need to clean up their turnover woes down the stretch in order to clinch the team's first division title since 1993.

Welcome back to MLive.com's weekly feature. In advance of each game, we will identify Detroit's "Issue of the Week" and give our insight as to how it might play out.

We welcome feedback from you, the reader, with some of the best comments slated to be used in an item later this week.

JUSTIN ROGERS
Turnovers have made some wins unnecessarily close, and in other instances, cost the Lions some victories.

The talent margin in the NFL is so narrow that unforced errors are often the difference. The Lions are living on the edge right now, racking up the giveaways at an alarming rate.

Things don't get easier this week against the Philadelphia. The Eagles have recorded 15 interceptions, two off the league lead. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could have a tough time snapping his five-game interception streak unless he starts making better reads and decisions.

Also, don't count on Philadelphia to make many mistakes. The Eagles have turned it over just once during its current four-game winning streak. Starting quarterback Nick Foles, although he's gotten away with some bad throws, still hasn't been picked this season.

KYLE MEINKE
The margin between winning and losing in the NFL is becoming increasingly minute, which makes turnover margin maybe the most important stat in the game. Every giveaway, or takeaway, can be the difference.

And the Lions have been a clown show here of late.

Detroit has coughed up 17 turnovers in the past 19 quarters, after committing just eight in the first 29. And it has forced only three of its own in that span. Not exactly a winning formula -- particularly on the road against a first-place team such as Philadelphia.

The Eagles' offense has been humming since turning to Foles, and they're protecting the football. Foles has yet to throw a pick all year.

Detroit has to rein in its giveaways, especially since it can't count on getting many takeaways against a team that values the ball so highly.